


If You Can

by masquerace



Series: Knock Me Down [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Mental Health Issues, Coach Bitty, Coming Out, Domestic, Established Relationship, Figure Skater Eric "Bitty" Bittle, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masquerace/pseuds/masquerace
Summary: Both Bitty and Jack have come leaps and bounds from where they were when they first started seeing each other, and Jack will do anything to make sure things stay that way. After all, they are a team.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This makes the most sense if you read part one first! I put a recap in the end notes.

Bitty’s voice ached and his heart felt like it had doubled in size, but it had to be nothing compared to what Jack felt. Jack stood frozen at the center of a thousand fans as the final buzzer sounded, and once what happened sank in, he spun on his skates and caught Bitty’s eyes. His face was full of utter disbelief, but a thrilled grin quickly overtook it. They did it. They actually managed to win the cup after coming so close the year before. The crowd erupted into cheers, and the ice became a flood of blue and white as everyone celebrated. Bitty had to fight his way through the crowd of fans and reporters to get to Jack, who was absolutely beaming at center ice.

“Jack! You did it! I knew y’all could do it!” Bitty launched himself at Jack and they wobbled in their embrace on the ice.

“Bits. We—we _won_. We actually won.”

He patted Jack’s scruff fondly. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

Jack set Bitty gingerly back on his feet and gave his shoulders a fond squeeze. With the increased height difference thanks to Jack’s skates, they both had to crane their necks a little to get a good look at each other with how close they were standing.

Unable to physically keep himself from touching Bitty in his enthusiasm, Jack leaned over and gave Bitty another hug. “I really, really want to kiss you right now.”

“Jack...”

“I know, I know. But, we could.”

“Are you sure?” Bitty glanced at the crowd with an unreadable expression on his face.

Jack pulled back and glanced down at Bitty’s lips, but before he could even think about starting to lean in, someone tapped lightly on his shoulder. A reporter stood behind him expectantly, and Jack had a sudden irrational urge to kiss Bitty anyway. He instead sighed and flashed his interview smile at her.

“Jack Zimmermann, do you have a moment?” She held a microphone up to him, and his eyes flickered between her and the cameraman behind her. He had no idea if it was a live feed or not, but the reminder that they were being filmed settled in his stomach like lead.

He blinked. “Um, sure.”

“How does it feel to finally be a Stanley Cup Champion? This was a long time coming for you, and I know I’d be thrilled if I were in your shoes. I’m sure everyone wants to know how you’re feeling right now.”

“It’s definitely great, yeah. This was, uh, a huge accomplishment for the whole team. It’s really great.”

She grinned. “This wasn’t just the Falconers, though. You managed to land an assist on that final goal. Surely that has to give you some personal satisfaction.”

“Absolutely.” Jack glanced over at Bitty briefly before continuing. “I went out there and did my best, and clearly it worked out the way I hoped it would.”

“Is this one of your college friends? We’ve heard that you’ve stayed close with them even now after two years in the NHL.”

Jack grinned, relaxing slightly. “Yeah, that’s Bittle. He’s great.”

“Is that so?” The reporter picked up on the change in Jack’s demeanor and stepped forward. “I bet it was pretty satisfying having him here as a former teammate to watch you win this.”

Bitty frowned and tugged on Jack’s sleeve. “Jack.”

Jack glanced over, quirking an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

“We should go. The presser, remember?”

“Right.” Jack slid back from the reporter. “Ah, thanks, but I should get going. I can answer any further questions at the press conference.”

The pair made their escape from the maze of press out on the ice, corralling the rest of their Samwell alumnus friends along the way. Jack was immediately jumped by the rest of the Falconers in the locker room in celebration. They fumbled through the post-win press conference and ended up celebrating back at Jack and Bitty’s apartment. Bitty texted his parents before setting his phone aside and fully joining in on the festivities, letting Jack know that they were both thrilled for him. Jack’s own parents made an appearance at the party but left quickly after passing along how proud they were, to Jack’s quiet relief. He first made sure to promise that he and Bitty would see them for lunch the next day, though.

The festivities lasted well into the night, and Jack kept quietly whispering to Bitty his bets on who would end up passing out where before they tried to head home whenever they passed each other. Jack ended up impressively being mostly right, which he made sure to also tell Bitty in passing. They eventually managed to sneak off to bed without anyone noticing amidst all the chaos.

“Jack?” Bitty absently toyed with Jack’s sideburns, eyes drooping a bit from exhaustion.

He hummed as a halfhearted response, eyes slipping closed.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“’M proud of you too, Bud.”

Bitty scrunched up his nose at that but didn’t say anything more before they both drifted off.

The next morning, Bitty woke to Jack watching him with those big blue eyes and a soft smile on his face, and Bitty decided that he loved the thought of waking up like that every day for the rest of their foreseeable future.

Something was bothering him, though.

“Hey, Jack?”

“Morning, Bits.”

Bitty curled a little closer. “Were you serious about last night?”

“What do you mean?” His mind raced, hoping he didn’t forget some promise he made Bittle during the party. “About me being proud of you?”

“When you said that you wanted to kiss me. On the ice.”

“Well, yeah. I want to kiss you now, too.” Jack moved his head so he could kiss Bitty to prove his point.

Bitty scrunched up his nose. “Charmer. But, would you have done it?”

“I… You’re, um, asking if I’m ready to come out.”

“Kind of. It’s more of a curiosity thing than anything, but…”

Jack sighed and sat up, and Bitty whined softly at losing his living pillow. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, Bits, but I am tired of hiding. It’s only going to get worse now that you’re here all the time, too. I want to take you places and not have to worry about who sees. I won’t push _you_ if you aren’t ready, though.”

“I’m scared, I think. Mostly for you.”

“Me too.”

Bitty pushed himself into a sitting position and found Jack’s hand with his own. “Maybe we can start small? I know you’re a fan of the big statement thing, but I think we missed our best opportunity for that this year.”

“Well, if you can wait until _next_ year…” Jack smirked.

Laughing, Bitty shoved him lightly and got to his feet. “Oh? Awfully optimistic, aren’t we?”

“I’m not saying _anything_.”

Bitty snorted and nodded his head towards their bedroom door. “Come on, sweet pea. Let’s get dressed and kick any stragglers out so we can meet your parents for lunch on time.”

Jack hauled himself to his feet and rushed through his morning routine side-by-side with Bitty. They cleaned up what they could of the lingering disaster from the previous night before they had to hurry off to meet Bob and Alicia. Bitty bumped his fingers with Jack’s on their walk over and smiled softly. They had time to figure things out.


	2. Chapter 2

Though the sudden inactivity that came with the off-season was still jarring for Jack, he quickly settled into a new routine with Bitty. _He_ wasn’t done for the season like Jack was, unfortunately, but they both knew Bitty was happiest when he constantly had something to do. They would still wake up early and jog in step with each other through the nearby park, and Jack would head home while Bitty got an hour or two of ice time in at the Falconer’s arena before hitting the gym. Bitty, much to Jack’s bewilderment, was still bemoaning about how out of shape he was, and how he needed to put twice the effort in if he was going to make figure skating work again. Instead of trying to argue the point, Jack started making sure lunch was ready to go by the time Bitty got home.

That was something he never expected to love doing quite as much as he did. Being the one who greeted Bitty with a warm smile and meal instead of the other way around felt so incredibly important, and the loving look in Bitty’s eyes that peeked through his exhaustion made any trouble Jack ran into worth it. He ran the coffee maker to the sound of Bitty’s shower running and realized that he would happily do this for the rest of his life.

Jack was so, so gone on that boy.

He had known Eric Bittle for four years and dated him for half that time, and he already had trouble picturing his life without him there. Jack was sure Bitty felt the same, but he decided not to say anything about it at that moment because he was sure it would only make him cry, and it was much too early in the day for that. The thought had him grinning like an idiot, though, so he decided to text Shitty so he could at least tell someone.

> Jack: I never expected to love Bittle quite this much.
> 
> Jack: But I do.
> 
> Jack: A lot.
> 
> Jack: Haha.

It took him a few minutes to respond, and Jack suddenly realized that the brief moments of radio silence didn't make his anxiety twitch. Because it was Shitty, and nothing about Shitty made Jack anxious anymore. He figured that was part of the reason they made such good friends.

> Shitty: Jackie-boy, that is too fucking cute, man.
> 
> Shitty: You’ve got that dopey love struck grin going on rn don’t you.
> 
> Jack: Maybe.
> 
> Jack: Yes.
> 
> Shitty: BRO.
> 
> Jack: I can’t imagine him not in my life anymore, Shits.
> 
> Shitty: So when’s the fucking wedding???
> 
> Shitty: Dibs on best man.
> 
> Shitty: Obvi.
> 
> Shitty: ALTHOUGH, if Bitty-boy asked me first, I can't promise I'd turn him down! Keep that in mind.
> 
> Jack: Oh.
> 
> Jack: I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

He really hadn’t. They were still taking things one day at a time, especially considering the absolute circus they went through over the past several months. Bitty was still struggling through conversations with his parents despite them doing their best to be supportive. There was a learning curve, and it wasn’t one Bitty didn’t expect. His injury still itched at him, too, Jack knew, despite it having been healed for well over two months. Though the risk of that happening again now that Bitty had moved completely back to figure skating, Jack could see that Bitty moved more gingerly rather than gracefully. He’d tried talking to him about it but quickly figured out that Bitty wasn’t quite ready for that particular conversation.

Jack could definitely see himself taking that step with Bitty, now that Shitty mentioned it. He quietly savored the thought of the word husband as Bitty reappeared, damp and relaxed from his shower. Jack wondered if he proposed right then if Bitty would say yes or not. 

“Honestly, I know I’m still probably the most flexible of any of our friends, but I was _struggling_ today.”

Jack blinked. What was he doing, entertaining that thought? He wasn’t even out, and marriage wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to hide.

“—was complaining about that when I saw Katya last weekend, and she suggested I join up with a ballet class again since that helped real well when I was first learning. Do you know of any?”

“Any what?” Jack shook the thoughts from his head and tried to focus on what Bitty was saying.

He rolled his eyes over the salad Jack made. “Ballet classes, honey, honestly. I know you were talking about how George was encouraging y’all to take some classes in a bunch of different things to keep y’all busy during the summer.”

“I don’t know, but I can ask her for you.” He paused. “There might be a class at the gym?”

Bitty waved his fork dismissively. “I already checked at the front desk this morning, and the only classes they have are for kids.”

“Maybe you could still take that one, eh? They might not even notice.” 

“Oh, hush, Zimmermann. I’m not that small and you know it. ‘Sides, unless you’re planning on pretending to be my Daddy dropping me off for class, you can shut it.”

Jack choked on his lunch and stared in exasperation over at Bitty, who simply smirked at him.

“If this kills me,” Jack croaked, “I’m telling George it was your fault.”

Bitty laughed.

After lunch and cleanup, Jack was banished from the kitchen so Bitty could get to work on a video for his vlog. He listened to Bitty work from the other room, quietly lamenting that he couldn’t watch as Bitty’s strong arms worked whatever it was he was making, and thought again about the steadily increasing list of reasons why being publicly out would be great. He opened the notepad on his phone and typed out a short list:

  1. _Can hold Bittle’s hand in public_
  2. _No more questions about if I have a girlfriend_
  3. _Don’t have to call Bittle my “roommate” anymore_
  4. _Bittle more likely to say yes if I propose_
  5. _Can stay in kitchen while he films, because it won’t matter if I’m in the shot_



Jack clicked away from the app and set his phone aside, staring blankly towards the noise Bitty was making. He didn’t even know if he wanted to appear on Bitty’s vlog. Cameras always made him freeze up and shut down his expressions, and he definitely felt more comfortable on the other side of the lens. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure if _Bitty_ wanted him on his channel. As far as Jack knew, Bitty had never had a guest on his baking vlog, and he didn’t know if he ever planned on making that choice. Jack had only seen the videos Bitty had shown him, following his wishes, so he didn’t have too much to go on. He would do it if Bitty asked him to, Jack decided.

He would do just about anything if Bitty asked him to.


	3. Chapter 3

It was like his body could tell it was actually summer. Bitty breathed into his hands to center himself, and he could feel his hands thaw slightly. After spending over a decade on the ice, he still shivered from the cold of the rink. It was probably the southerner in him shining through, even though he had officially established residency in Rhode Island. His body just wasn’t built for the cold. That didn’t seem to slow him down any, though. Like Katya used to say, cold was good for exercise.

He circled the empty ice while he caught his breath before gliding forward into a spin. Bitty wasn’t too concerned about which spins he practiced at this point, but he knew he needed to get used to the movements so he could comfortably work on improving specifics without worrying about getting dizzy. It was frustrating having to reteach himself things he learned years ago, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that aside from continuing to practice. He learned that from Jack. Bitty wanted to move into jumps—he always preferred them to the spins—but being coachless meant he had to discipline himself during his practices, and he told himself he wasn’t going to do jumps that morning. The last thing he wanted to do was overdo it and end up hurting himself.

Luckily, his phone chimed with the alarm signaling the end of his ice time before the urge overtook him completely.

Skating off the ice, Bitty made his way to the showers and ticked it up a little higher than usual to take the numbing cold out of his fingertips. He kept it quick so he could get home to Jack before he had to leave again. It was Wednesday, which meant he spent most of the afternoon with Amanda for her conditioning. Her mother wanted to enter her into an actual competition this year rather than just showcases, and Bitty knew that she was partially using that to test how effective a coach he was. But Amanda was a quick learner and loved everything about figure skating, so he wasn’t too nervous.

Jack was asleep on the couch when he got home.

Quietly setting his gym bag down by the door, Bitty snuck to the kitchen to finish putting together whatever Jack had planned for lunch. He found two covered plates of leftovers that he popped in the microwave, and he mentally congratulated himself for catching them before the microwave beeped. Bitty set the plates on the coffee table and knelt next to Jack’s sleeping head and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Jack pushed himself up with a start, blinking a few times before looking down at Bitty. He took in Bitty’s still-damp hair from his shower, his big brown eyes staring up at him, and his mouth quirked upwards in a teasing smile and grinned sheepishly.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Bitty bit his lip and tried not to laugh at how goofy Jack looked with a love-struck smile and his hair sticking up in all directions. “Let me guess, you ran an extra mile or two after you dropped me off this morning.”

“Don't chirp me. I needed something to do. I’m already bored of vacation.” He glanced at the coffee table and frowned. “I was going to do that.”

Bitty rolled his eyes. "You were asleep."

"I was going to," He reiterated. "And I didn't mean to sleep."

“I’m perfectly capable of using a microwave, sweetheart. Now scoot over so I can sit next to you.”

Jack pouted softly but did as Bitty told. “It’s not that. I just… I like doing things for _you_ for a change, like making you lunch everyday.”

“You don’t have to do things for me, Jack. You know that, right? I’m honestly just glad I get to be here with you.”

“I _want_ to do things for you. Um. Make things easier on you. You do so much for everyone, not just for me, and I don't think you realize that. You're always so giving. You deserve to have people do things for you and help you out, and I didn't mean to imply you were _incapable_ or anything. Sorry.”

Bitty saw an expression he couldn’t read briefly cross Jack’s face before it settled on earnestly apologetic. He met Jack's eyes and smiled softly. “I love you so much. What did I do to deserve you?”

“That’s my line, Bits.” He paused, like he wanted to say something else, but he started eating his lunch instead.

He almost asked Jack about it, but decided to drop it. If it were something important, Jack would talk to him eventually. They ate in silence for a few minutes and enjoyed each other’s company. They’d bump elbows and grin at each other, but they didn’t try to hold any sort of conversation while they ate. Jack insisted he would do the dishes himself, so Bitty hopped up on the counter to watch him work. By the time he finished, Bitty was watching him inquisitively.

“Are you really already bored?”

Jack frowned a little. “Kind of. I guess I have a couple more books I could read, but I don’t want to blow through them all so quickly.”

“You could go somewhere? That’s what most everyone else is doing, right? You showed me those pictures of Snowy at the Grand Canyon last night.”

“Where would I go, though? And I know you’re training and coaching, which means you’d have to stay here, so I’d end up missing you and not actually enjoy myself.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jack put his hands on Bitty’s knees and squeezed softly. “Don’t be. Let me be bored. It doesn’t happen very often during the season, so I’ll make up for that now. And anyway, I’m happy if you are.”

“It hasn't even been two weeks since the cup. You have almost two months before preseason, and I’d hate if you spent all that time moping around the house.”

“Moping, eh?”

Bitty poked him in the chest. “You took a nap at eleven o’clock in the morning and got all _Monsieur Grumpy_  on me when I took your microwave job. _Moping_.”

In response, Jack simply kissed him.

“Maybe…” Bitty paused, frowning down at his hands.

“Hm?” Jack could almost see Bitty’s thoughts churning in his head, which meant he caught a wisp of what had the chance to be a great idea.

Bitty glanced up and met Jack’s eyes. “Maybe we could go somewhere. Together.”

“Where’d you have in mind?”

“I was thinking Madison?” He smiled softly. “I know it’s not anything fancy, but…”

Jack interrupted him. “I’d be happy to visit again. But, any reason why there, though? And what about skating and Amanda?”

“Well, I’m sure my parents would love to see you again, and we won’t have to hide as much while we’re there since they know about us. If we went anywhere more public, we’d probably spend the whole trip worrying about outing ourselves, which wouldn’t end up being very relaxing. Both Momma and Coach are great at finding things for you to do if you get all mopey again, too. And as far as my training, I can take a break from the ice time for a week. I’ll still be able to do everything out of skates that I need to do, so it’s not like I won’t be able to practice at all. Plus, I only meet with Amanda once a week right now, so as long as we don’t wait until I have to bump that up, we can go visit in between.”

“You should call your mother.”

Bitty laughed. “I take it that’s a yes, then? I’ll call her tonight. I have to get going if I’m going to meet Amanda on time. I reserved the ballet studio at the gym for four hours today, you know.”

“That seems like a lot.”

“We have a lot to do.” Bitty grinned and went about unpacking and repacking his gym bag before slipping out the door.

By the time Bitty got off the phone with his mother that night, Jack had already booked their tickets for a flight the next week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: panic attack

The thoughts came again while they sitting in the Boston airport waiting for their flight to Atlanta. Jack watched as Bitty easily charmed the cashier at the nearby coffee kiosk, and he found himself fighting the grin threatening to break across his face. They were in public, which meant they had to put on their just-friends masks. Every time they had to do that seemed harder and harder to pull off, despite all the conversations they’d had about the importance of keeping their relationship private. Deep down, Jack knew most of the reasons boiled down to his job, and he found himself daydreaming of dropping hockey altogether if it meant he could impulsively kiss Bitty on the cheek while sitting in uncomfortable airport chairs.

Jack pulled his baseball cap lower over his eyes and sank further into his seat to try and keep from being spotted.

That would never happen, of course. Jack very much knew that Bitty meant more to him than hockey, but living without either would be nearly impossible. He would never willingly give either up, and Bitty never made him choose between them. Which was why they were hiding their relationship. He hated it. He knew Bitty was mostly concerned for Jack when it came to outing themselves, but Jack found himself wondering if that was the only reason Bitty was dragging his heels whenever they talked about the possibility of Jack coming out. If he for sure knew Bitty was okay with being public, Jack was sure he’d drop the charade in a moment. He could handle whatever the media or the other players threw at him as long as he had Bitty by his side. 

Bitty caught Jack watching him wait for coffee and grinned, and Jack felt like he just stepped into direct sunlight. Jack’s phone buzzed softly.

 

> **Eric:** Stop staring, sweet pea. You look a little crazed.
> 
> **Jack:** But I miss you.
> 
> **Eric:** Oh, hush.
> 
> **Eric:** Are you sure you don’t want anything?
> 
> **Jack:** No, thank you.
> 
> **Jack:** Caffeine makes me jittery when I’m anxious.
> 
> **Eric:** I could get you something non-caffeinated.
> 
> **Jack:** I'm alright.
> 
> **Eric:** I’ll be back over there soon.

 

For someone who flew a lot, planes did still manage to make Jack uneasy. It was never enough to really affect him, but he knew better than to press his luck. Besides, flying wasn’t the only thing nagging at him.

Jack briefly glanced back up at the coffee line and sighed. He wished he had the words to ask Bitty what it was about Jack coming out that bothered him, but any question he tried to form only got all jumbled on his tongue. He was still thinking about what Shitty said, about them possibly getting married someday. He definitely didn’t want to hide Bitty in general, but if anything an engagement was something he wanted to hide even less. Of course, they didn’t even tend to talk about their long term goals with each other. They would talk about their plans as individuals, either things they wanted to do or in their respective careers, but asking Bitty to move in with him was the most long-term planning they’d done.

Suddenly, it hit him. Bitty didn’t want Jack to come out because he thought it was only because of their relationship, and Bitty didn’t see them as something that would last long enough to warrant that. The thought of Bitty planning on leaving him—because if he wasn’t planning on staying, that meant he had to be planning on leaving—made Jack feel sick. All his thoughts about moving forward and taking the next few steps with Bitty were pointless because they’d never get that far. If he did try and propose… Jack wasn’t sure what was worse: Bitty laughing at him, or shaking his head in pity.

He gripped his knees tightly when he realized his hands were shaking. It hit him that he was in a public place where he could easily get recognized, and he was spiraling fast. The rapid-fire repeating thought of ‘ _I have to get out of here_ ’ was the only thing that got him out of his chair and towards the nearest restroom. He sank down behind a locked stall door and counted backwards from ten.

Jack couldn’t let himself think about anything except counting.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he barely acknowledged it.

It buzzed again.

_Shit_ , he disappeared on Bitty.

Jack struggled to focus on nothing except pulling his phone from his pocket and replying to Bitty’s texts without reading them. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there or how long they had before they missed their flight, but none of that mattered if he couldn’t get himself together.

“Honey?”

Jack reached out and shakily unlocked the stall door without saying anything. In a second Bitty was stuffing himself in the stall with Jack and locking the door again.

“What do you need?”

He found Bitty’s thigh and gripped it, and it was just enough to help ground him a little better. Eventually, he felt his breathing even out enough so he didn’t feel like he was suffocating any longer.

Taking a ragged breath, Jack looked up at Bitty’s worried face. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Are you okay?” Bitty reached out and stroked his cheek softly.

“I think so.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Jack hesitated as he ran through what he was thinking about when the attack snuck up on him. That was a conversation they needed to have not in a public restroom waiting for a flight, so he slowly shook his head. He could tell Bitty wanted to press the issue, but he didn’t.

“Did we miss our flight?”

Bitty chuckled. “Not quite, sweet pea. I think we still have about five minutes or so before they call us to board.“

“Oh, good.” Jack grinned, although it looked a little tired. “We should get back out there then.”

They managed to inconspicuously get back to their seats and find their suitcases, which Bitty was glad were still untouched where Jack accidentally abandoned them earlier. They ultimately managed to make it onto their plane and to their seats in one piece.

Later during their flight, Jack turned to look at Bitty, who was staring out the window with his headphones in. The light reflecting off the clouds made his hair shine gold. For not the first time, Jack was struck with the amazing revelation that he got the privilege to love that beautiful, perfect man.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Eric Bittle.” He spoke softly, knowing Bitty wouldn’t hear him. Jack wasn’t sure how likely it was that his wish would come true, but that didn’t even come close to stopping him from hoping.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Jack and Bitty got back from their morning run the day after touching down in Madison, Bitty’s parents were already outside doing yardwork. Jack watched as Bitty hopped in their rental car and drove off to the local gym, and he found himself alone in a mostly unfamiliar house.

It wasn’t too different from when he visited two years prior—the furniture still the same, framed by the same pictures and decorations—but it was a little different being there and knowing that the Bittles knew about their real relationship. It was different knowing that Jack had his sights on actually _joining_ their family eventually, even if Bitty wasn’t aware of that yet. He wandered the house a bit, putting off taking a shower, and took stock of some of the little things he glossed over during his last trip. Jack grinned a little at the pictures of Bitty as a golden child framed in sunlight.

A door opened and shut again, and Jack glanced away from the pictures. Feeling suddenly awkward again, he decided to follow the noise to see if either of Bitty’s parents had something for him to do.

Coach stood in the kitchen, downing a glass of water. He waved a little when Jack walked in.

“Have a good run?”

Jack nodded. “Eric insisted we cut it short since I’m not used to running in this kind of heat.”

“I’m assuming he’s off to the gym then.” Coach refilled his glass at the fridge and sipped at it slower than the last.

“Yes, uh, sir. Did you need any help?”

He flashed a half-smile over his glass and quirked up his eyebrows. “Suzie said Junior told her that you were going to be needing something to keep you busy while y’all are here. Off-season getting to you?”

“Maybe a little bit.” Jack let out a soft laugh. “I’m not used to spending long days alone at home. Although, I’m glad Eric’s doing this, because it means he won’t have to deal with that while I’m playing, at least before we both retire.”

Coach studied him curiously. “You’re in this for the long haul, huh?”

“Um.” He felt his cheeks grow hot when he realized the implications of what he said. “I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s not really up to me, Jack, is it? I’m not going to make you win me or Suzie over to prove you’re worthy of our son, not that I ever planned on doing that even before…” He gestured and set his glass down on the counter.

Jack fiddled with the edge of his shirt absently. “Oh.”

“Point is, we’re doing our damnedest to accept whoever Junior decides to spend his time with, but you shouldn’t worry about that because honestly, you make it easy for us to like you.”

“Thank you. I think.”

Coach sighed softly and scratched at his cheek. “Come on. Let’s get your hands dirty.”

Jack followed him outside and waved to Suzanne as they passed where she was trimming back some of the bushes next to the house. Coach lead him towards the back of the property, and Jack breathed a soft sigh of relief when he realized he’d be working under the shade of trees. Coach directed him to pick up debris scattered in the mulch and across the little paths and dump them into a nearby wheelbarrow. When it was full, he had to push it over to the burn pile, which Coach would be monitoring. The thought of a fire in the middle of the Georgia summer heat made Jack grimace, but the mindless labor was a good time killer.

The sun was nearly overhead by the time Jack joined Coach by the fire, and the two slowly worked on emptying the wheelbarrow into the flames in silence. He hadn’t really thought about it before, but Jack wasn’t used to the idea of fire as overly purposeful outside of a heat source. Bonfires made long stints outside during cold winters bearable, and fireplaces made indoors feel like a comfortable hideout when the ground was covered in snow. But fires even had their place in summer, it seemed.

Coach cleared his throat. “Have you and Junior talked about your plans much?”

“What do you mean?” Yanking his gaze from the fire, Jack blinked bewilderedly at Coach.

“Earlier, you seemed pretty confident that y’all are going to last for a while, and I’m wondering if you’ve talked to him about that at all.”

“Oh.” Jack frowned. “Has he said something to you about that?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. Me and Junior, we don’t really talk about that sort of thing. And if he’s said something to _his Momma_ about it, she hasn’t breathed a word to me neither.”

Jack breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “I see. And to answer your question, not really? I don’t want to move too fast or anything. I’ve definitely  done that a lot already in our relationship.”

“Well, maybe not.” Coach shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know I don’t know specifics about things, but y’all are coming from a friendship, and that means y’all’ve already had a few years to get to know each other and so on.”

“I… Thanks. For, uh, saying that. I hadn’t really thought about it that way before.”

“All I know is, Junior hasn’t looked as happy as he does now, _with you_ , since I don’t know when. Me and Suzie were real worried about him for such a long time, especially because we couldn’t get him to talk about what was bothering him, but I don’t feel so worried about him anymore.”

Jack smiled softly. “I’m glad I’m helping, even a little. Although I have to say I think he’s doing more for me than I him.”

“That may be,” He caught Jack’s eyes, “but that doesn’t change that I’m glad you’re in his life.”

“I’m lucky to have him.”

“Good answer.”

They fed a few more twigs and pinecones into the fire in silence, although Jack was mostly trying to process their conversation. He was glad Coach seemed to fully approve of their relationship, despite how hard it was to get to that point, but he also hinted that Jack definitely needed to talk to Bitty about some of the things he’d been contemplating ever since he won the cup.

Bitty came home a little after they had lunch and found Jack in the kitchen helping Suzanne prep a few things for dinner that night. He eyed the aproned look appreciatively from the doorway, but he ducked away when Jack noticed him and tried to give him a hug.

“Oh, no you don’t. I haven’t showered yet and you, mister, are working with food. Stay over there.”

Jack pouted in a way he knew would make Bitty laugh. “I haven’t seen you all morning, though.”

“You’ve gone much longer without seeing me, you silly moose. I’m going to shower and change, and then _maybe_ I’ll come help both of y’all.”

Suzanne chuckled at their conversation, but took her leave when Bitty returned with damp hair and a clean shirt. “Since you’re back, I’ll let you handle the rest of it. I’ve still got a lot to do today, and something tells me you’re very familiar with bossing Jack around a kitchen.”

“Momma, please.” Bitty briefly buried his face in his hands while she flashed Jack a knowing look.

After she disappeared and Bitty had moved into the kitchen to read over the recipe they were working with, Jack nudged him gently.

“I think your dad gave me half a shovel talk today.”

Bitty choked. “He _didn’t_.”

“Maybe? He was definitely emphasizing that I make you happy and how you weren’t always very happy, although he never outright mentioned any consequences to me either.”

“Oh, Lord.” Bitty rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I do not understand that man in the slightest.”

“He said he likes me, though. Which I guess is good.”

Bitty popped up on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Jack’s jaw. “Well, I like you too.”

“Just ‘like’? Have I been demoted?”

Quirking an eyebrow and rolling his eyes again, Bitty snorted. “Maybe you have. Maybe I met _another_ Canadian Adonis hockey player with big ol’ puppydog eyes at the gym today who swept me off my feet.”

Jack laughed and wrestled Bitty into a hug, refusing to let go no matter how much he struggled against him. He knew Bitty was joking, but even the thought of Bitty leaving him or meeting someone else made his heart hurt. He wanted Bitty with him for the rest of the foreseeable future. As Bitty laughed into his chest, pink dusting the skin under his freckles, Jack realized he probably needed to tell him that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> burnpiles are objectively one of the strangest things that are accepted as normal, coming from someone born and raised in Georgia. idk if other states outside of the south have them, but it's really funny seeing people light giant fires in 90 degree heat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: panic attack, although not overly detailed

Jack woke up to a dark room, feeling like something was off although his tired brain couldn’t quite piece together what. Even though he didn’t know what time it was, he could tell by the darkness through the window that it was way earlier than when his alarm was set during the regular season. Jack reached out a hand and was greeted by nothing but the feeling of cold sheets. Suddenly, he realized what woke him. 

Quietly, Jack slid out of Bitty’s room. He double checked to make sure his boyfriend wasn’t in the bathroom, which he indeed wasn’t, before tiptoeing softly down the stairs to see if he could find him. 

Bitty was predictably in the kitchen. He seemed smaller than usual with the way his form was hunched over the oven, and Jack could make out the barest hint of Bitty’s arms shaking in the soft glow of moonlight coming through the window. He was scarily silent with hands in fists, and Jack’s heart clenched. Seeing him so distressed always felt so unnatural in contrast to his usual self. Jack wasn't sure what set Bitty off like that, but he did know that he needed to fix it in whatever way he could. 

“Bud?” He spoke softly to try and keep from frightening Bitty too badly.

Bitty flinched anyway, before glancing back at Jack. “S-sorry. Did I…did I wake you up?”

“No.” It was a lie, but it didn’t matter. “Are you alright?”

“Yes… _No_. I will be. Sorry. I’ll, um… I’ll come back to bed soon.”

Jack didn’t move despite the obvious dismissal Bitty gave him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Bitty took a shuddering breath but otherwise didn’t answer.

Jack tried to push away the anxiety bubbling in his stomach. Bitty clearly needed him, and him panicking over Bitty hurting wasn’t going to do either of them any good in the current situation.

“Did you have the nightmare again?”

Bitty’s fists pressed into the edge of the stovetop harder. “They should be gone by now. I thought I was getting better. This is so  _stupid_.”

“Is it okay if I touch you?” Jack walked closer, struggling against the urge to pull the other boy into his arms before he gave his okay.

Bitty nodded once. Jack immediately wrapped his arms around him and held on tight. He could feel the way Bitty’s shoulders relaxed into the contact, despite the lingering tension. Everything about this situation was terrible, and Jack hated that Bitty had lived with these haunting memories for so long. Hated that he had the experiences in the first place. Jack knew that they were in Madison partially because of him, too, and that being back so close to where Bitty was tormented probably wasn’t helping things. It was why Bitty left in the first place. Jack pressed his lips against the skin behind Bitty’s ear, and heard him give a quiet sniffle. Hugging him close and pressing kisses against his hairline would only stave off the underlying problem for so long though, so Jack made himself to stop and speak up again.

“I’m going to say something that you don’t want to hear, okay, bud? You’re probably going to get mad at me, but I think this is too important to ignore.”

Bitty took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“You weren’t getting better. I know it seemed like it because things were going well in other areas of your life, but you have to realize this wasn’t changing. You continued to ignore what you were feeling in hopes of it going away on its own, and this is only proof of that. This is your body telling you that something is still wrong. Something that shouldn’t be pushed aside because it’s inconvenient or scary.”

“ _Jack_ —”

“No, I’m not done.” He squeezed Bitty a little tighter and took a deep breath. “There also isn’t a ‘getting better’ to this kind of thing, bud. Trust me. You can only learn to manage it better, and ignoring it isn’t managing at all. You need to talk to someone. And I don’t mean so you can get medication or anything, because that may not be what you need. You do need to actually talk to someone who can listen, to get this sorted out and on the table,  and I’m sorry, but it really can’t be me.”

Bitty stood in silence for a long moment. He kept his head down, and for several terrifying seconds Jack thought Bitty was going to lash out at him in anger when his words finished sinking in. Instead, Bitty’s shoulders sagged. 

His voice was tiny. “Why can’t I just talk to you? You make everything so _easy_.”

“Because I don’t know to help, what to say. Maybe if this was an anxiety disorder, but even then that’d be a hard maybe. I love you, but I can’t do everything.” Jack buried his face in Bitty’s hair.

“Okay.”

Jack blinked in surprise. “Okay?” 

Taking yet another shuddery breath, Bitty turned so his back was pressed against the edge of the oven instead. His cheeks were stained with tear tracks, and the sight made Jack’s heart hurt.

“I’ll try and… _talk_ to someone. Once we get back home.”

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so, so proud of you. Agreeing to that is a huge step, and I am so proud that you’ve made that choice. Now, let’s go back to bed before we wake your parents.”

Bitty nodded and let Jack lead him upstairs and back to his childhood bedroom. He couldn’t get back to sleep right away, but he found a small comfort in watching Jack doze off again with his hands desperately clinging to Bitty’s sleep shirt. It was clear he managed to get some rest when his eyes opened again to see the morning light seeping into the room, but the smile on Jack’s sleeping face made him feel better than any restful night could. He thought back over last night’s incident with a frown and bit his lip absently. He never expected to be plagued with the same fears at age twenty-two as he had when he was twelve, but… He glanced back over at Jack’s face and smiled. There were a lot of things that had happened to him in the past few years that he never expected.

Slipping out of Jack’s grip, Bitty made his way downstairs to start on breakfast before anyone else could. He made the decision to take a day off from his training and spend some quality time with his family. Despite them not having talked about it in length, Bitty found himself  easily considering Jack part of that.

Grinning into his hand, Bitty really hoped Jack agreed with the sentiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the impromptu hiatus!! i promise i haven't forgotten about this! i just got back from a convention and con crunch had me super distracted. hopefully i'll start updating more frequently again.


	7. Chapter 7

Their last day in Madison went by slowly. Bitty went back to his training schedule after giving himself a break for a day, and Jack went back to helping the Bittles with errands and yard work without being able to watch Bitty while he did it. He didn’t mind, really, he thought as he wiped a film of sweat from his forehead. He liked feeling like he was accomplishing something in the offseason even if it meant he didn’t get to see Bitty as often as he’d like. They saw each other in the evenings and when they woke up for their run, so he’d have to content himself with that until Bitty felt more comfortable with his athleticism to spend more time with him.

The upside of spending so much time with Bitty’s parents free from the distraction of their son was being able to watch the way they interacted. When he first met Suzanne and Coach, Jack thought they were nice if not a little over-worried about Bitty.  He still thought that, but they were so much more than that. Bitty clearly picked up his petname habit from them both, which only made it hit home that this was the relationship grew up wanting. They way Coach would endlessly dote on Suzanne, while she batted him away with a smile. Working together, so in sync and clearly the result of years of companionship.

Jack hoped he could live up to their example.

That is, of course, if Bitty would have him for long enough to prove that. He tried to convince himself that there was so much that needed to happen before he could even have that conversation with Bitty, but realistically he knew there was one thing, He needed to make a decision about coming out. Bitty wasn’t really hiding anywhere anymore. Now that his parents knew, there was no reason for it. The only place he was still closeted was with Jack.

He sighed and dusted his hands on his shorts. “I’m going to take a break, but I’ll be back out after.”

“You’re not overheating, are you, honey?” Suzanne frowned from where she was kneeling by some bushes.

“No, I’m alright. Thank you.”

She nodded, and Jack fled inside. The air conditioning hit him like a block of ice, and he sighed in relief. Summer in Georgia was always unbearable. Summer and Georgia were both so very integral parts of Bitty, though, so Jack found himself loving it regardless. He’d spend every summer in Georgia if it meant spending it with Bitty.

Without thinking too hard about it, he dialed Lardo.

“Yo, Mr. Champion, how’s it shaking?” There was noise in the background that made Jack hesitate.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

She laughed. “Nah, bro. Shitty dragged me to this cultural festival in some park, but he’s in a very loud argument with some guy about the dangers of over sexualizing women in modern artworks. Honestly, you’d think _he_ was the art major with the vocabulary he’s throwing at this guy.”

As Jack chuckled a bit at that, Lardo held out the phone, and Jack could hear Shitty ranting loudly in the distance.

“So, as you can see, I’m totally free to chat.”

“I’m in Madison.”

“So I’ve heard. Bitty keeps tweeting about how guilty he is about abandoning his boytoy with his parents.”

Jack snorted. “Please tell me he didn’t actually say boytoy.”

“At _least_ twice.”

Grinning, he shook his head. “I’m going to have to chirp him about that one when he gets back.”

“If you don’t, I will, bro.” He could picture Lardo rolling her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses she was most definitely wearing.

“About that, actually.” Jack took a breath. “Do you think Bitty… Has he said anything about... I don’t know. _Us_?”

“Should he have? Is something going on, Jack?”

“No, no. Not like that. The, uh, opposite actually. I’m thinking of possibly coming out. So we can stop hiding and, uh, maybe move forward some.”

Lardo paused. “You getting sentimental on me, Zimmermann?”

“Maybe. For Bitty. Only… Always for Bitty.” He took a breath and double checked that he was alone. “I want to be there for him in every way imaginable, and I can’t do that if I’m still hiding him. Just… Tell me if doing this would be a mistake.”

“Okay. I can’t tell you what to do, Jack, so let’s run through what we know and maybe that’ll help you figure this out.”

He took a deep breath, Lardo always, always knew what he needed to hear.

“First, you’re a Stanley Cup Champion and a fantastic player who made alternate in your first season. You’re an established and well-loved hockey player with a team behind you who’d throw hands for you in a heartbeat. So jot that down. Coming out will be rough on you professionally, and you don’t need me to tell you that, but your job wouldn’t be in jeopardy. Right?”

“Right. But I’d choose Bitty over hockey any day if I had to.”

Lardo made a noise into the receiver that Jack couldn’t identify. “Shit, you really are serious about our boy, aren’t you?”

“I really am.”

“Guess that proves my second point. You really love him. Does he know how much?”

Jack nodded, then remembered Lardo couldn’t see him. “I’ve told him that. The thing about hockey, I mean. I don’t know if he _believed_ me, but I’ve said it.”

“Cool. You should remind him of that. Mostly because he’ll probably turn red, and we both know that’s hilarious.”

He grinned.

“But anyway, that leaves one more thing. Bitty.”

His grin faltered. “Right.”

“You’re doing this because of _him_ , right? Or did I mishear something?”

“No, I’m definitely considering it because I’m dating him. Because… well.” Jack chewed at his lip a little. “If I’m being honest with myself, it’s because I want to do more than date him, but I can’t exactly hide that from the public very well. I’m struggling enough with how we are now as it is.”

He expected an amused laugh from Lardo, but her end of the line was quiet until she spoke. “Your question makes more sense now.”

“Hm?”

“About if Bitty’s said anything to me. You want to know if he’d say yes if you’d propose.”

“I—“ Jack stumbled on his words a bit. “Well, I doubt I’d do it _now_ —“

“Why not? I bet his parents would love being the first to know about the engagement.”

“First of all, I don’t even have a ring, and—wait. You _do_ think he’d say yes?”

Lardo sighed loudly. “Hell, Zimmermann. He loves you so fucking much, and with the work he has to put in for this figure skating thing, he’d be thrilled knowing you have his back during all of this. Proposing would let him know you’re in it for the long haul even though you know he’s busy all the time, and it would put his mind at ease. Not to mention, you don’t have to get married right away even if you did ask tonight. I think it’s a good idea.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Zimmermann. And I know Shitty would lose his shit if you two got engaged. He’s already started a betting pool with Ransom and Holster.”

Jack laughed. “Does your roommate know about this? What was his name, Mark? Ben? Andy?”

“He thinks the four of us are nuts for betting on when you’ll get engaged because ‘Jack Zimmermann isn’t even dating anyone.’”

He laughed again, louder. “Maybe I’ll ask Bitty just to see the look on his face.”

“Ask me what?” Bitty set his keys on the kitchen table and Jack’s heart nearly lept out of his chest.

“Bits, you’re home! I, uh, didn’t hear you come in.”

Lardo cackled through the phone.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, sweet pea. Who’re talking to?”

“It’s Lardo. She’s out with Shitty, and I was just about to let her go.” He hung up, cutting off Lardo’s chirp about being forced to be overly involved in their relationship.

“Well,” Bitty ran a hand through his bangs and brushed them out of his eyes, “I’m here now, so what did you have to ask me?”

Jack smiled softly and stepped forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll ask you later. It’s nothing pressing.”

Bitty frowned softly but let it go. He watched as Jack went back outside to help his parents and smiled at how earnest he was about making sure he was doing everything correctly. Between training and coaching and trying to find some way to establish himself as a professional baker somewhere between the two, he spent so much time thinking about the future. More so than he ever did in college. But every time he pictured himself all established five, ten years in the future, it was always by Jack’s side. Bitty shook his head and sighed. Their time in Madison felt a little bit like a dream even if he still had to keep working throughout their trip, but they had to leave the next morning. As much as Bitty wanted to spend endless summer days by Jack's side, he knew they had to go back to reality.

He wondered again what Jack wanted to ask him.


	8. Chapter 8

Summer faded behind them with little fuss, and Jack found himself breathing a sigh of relief when he finally slipped his practice jersey on again for the first time in months. He’d met with the team and the management team on and off during the off-season for various events, which helped to keep him busy after the week he spent in Madison with Bitty. Most of the guys chirped him for being boring and staying mostly at home during the break, but Jack simply smiled in response and knew that he was thrilled to have Bitty beside him every night for three entire, uninterrupted months. That was better than any tropical vacation or skiing trip.

Coming off a playoff win changed the atmosphere of the Falconers’ pre-season slightly, but it still boiled down to charged energy full of excitement at getting back on the ice again. Knowing he was a Stanley Cup champion definitely made Jack skate a little taller. Maybe. He _felt_ taller, anyway.

Bitty ended up missing their opening game to attend a preliminary competition Amanda had signed up for. It wasn’t the first time Bitty had missed one of his home games, but it was a weird thought that he was missing it for work rather than because he had a game of his own. Jack found himself wishing he could go watch Bitty coach, but brushed the thought from his head quickly. He only thought that because he missed Bitty, and between both of their jobs, they were starting to see less and less of each other. He smiled, knowing he’d have a slew of texts waiting for him when he got off the ice. The coach called his line, and he wiped any thoughts of longing from his head once his skates hit the ice and focused on getting the puck past the Bruins players.

“Zimmboni, glad you still play strong even without B here as your good luck charm.” Tater slapped him on the back in the locker room after the game.

Jack glanced up from where he was scrolling through Bitty’s messages and cracked a small grin. “Have a little faith in me, Tater. Come on.”

“How did B’s tiny skater do? He did not text me about score even though I asked him to.”

“138.3. He seems pretty excited about it, even though she came fourth in her division.”

Tater threw up his arms and yelled. “B’s tiny skater will become champion, just like B will. Her score very respectable.”

“If I tell him you said that, he’ll only argue the point.” Jack paused. “Well, about himself. He’s very confident in Amanda’s skillset.”

“B needs more confidence. Maybe if he lift me again.”

“No, Tater.”

“But—“

Jack sighed. “He needs to get in front of  a panel of judges and perform before he’ll believe anyone about that. Right now he’s still convinced that he’s been out of practice for too long to even have a shot at placing in a major competition.”

“You two. So similar.”

“What do you mean?”

Tater plopped down on the bench next to Jack. “Just yesterday, you make comment about how you expect to play poor because you spent so long off of ice. Tonight, you make two goals and we win easy. Only believe you can after you already do it.”

“Ha, maybe you have a point.” Jack glanced back down at his phone. “Bits says congrats on the assist, by the way.”

“Tell him I want blueberry pie.”

Jack laughed. “Bitty can’t possibly make you a pie _every_ time you score a point, Tater.”

“Maybe he will after I talk to him, yes?” With that, Tater leapt from the bench and disappeared into the crowd of hockey players on the other side of the room.

Jack texted Bitty a heads up on the incoming demand and started packing himself up again to head home.

The further it crept towards winter, the less Jack got to see Bitty, or so it seemed. If he wasn’t training, he was coaching, and if he wasn’t coaching, he was in the kitchen filming for his vlog with a sticky note warning Jack to stay out and keep quiet. It didn’t help that Jack had a roadie almost every other week that took him far from the promise of at least curling up beside Bitty at night, but it did help rekindle his thoughts about coming out again.

It wouldn’t change anything about their lack of time spent together, but at least Jack wouldn’t have to hide in his hotel room if he wanted to call Bitty and say hi without worrying about being overheard by someone. He would be able to answer honestly when the reporters at the post-game pressers asked what he thought the worst thing about travelling so much was.

It’s that question that gets him, really.

“It wasn’t our best night, yeah, but we gave what we could. As much as I’d like to, we can’t win them all, and it’s only one game. We’ll learn from the mistakes we made tonight and move on.” Jack huffed a little, disappointed regardless that they just lost to the Sharks by a full three points.

Guy nodded beside him. “It’s always been our focus. One game at a time. It’s only one of many.”

The reporter seemed satisfied with the answer, even though it was more or less the same thing they said every time they lost. She pushed the microphone a little closer to the table and quirked her head.

“This has been the longest away game streak for the Falconers’ so far this season. Do you think being away from home for so long is taking its toll on the team?”

Jack frowned. “Being away from our partners is never great, but I don’t think that has anything to do with how we play.”

“ _Our?_ Are you including yourself in that?”

Immediately, Jack realized his mistake. The media didn’t know he was seeing anyone, let alone another man. Let alone Bitty. Too late, he realized he let the silence drag on for too long to believably deny the claim, so he scrambled for the right words, knowing that he and Bitty hadn’t had the time to fully talk about him possibly coming out.

“I…euh, yes. But, um, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

Marty and Guy glanced over at him from their seats at the press table, clearly a little worried, but they quickly started talking about their significant others to try and pull the spotlight off of Jack for the moment. Back at the hotel, Jack stood on the balcony of his hotel room and called Bitty after flicking through the messages he sent him during the game and the press conference.

“So, Jack Zimmermann isn’t single, hm?” Bitty sounded smug, but Jack could hear the twinge of concern under the surface.

“I’m sorry.”

Bitty sighed. “Oh, don’t be, sweetheart. It could have gone a lot worse. It’s not like you outed yourself, really. Partner is a very gender neutral term.”

“We haven’t really talked about that seriously, though, and I know this is going to mean more reporters following me around for a while.” Jack hesitated. “But would that really be that bad?”

“Reporters following you around? I always thought you hated when they did that.”

“No, um, about outing myself.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, I know it would be hard, but… I don’t know. I really miss you. I feel like we haven’t had time for each other in weeks. Maybe it’s making me think dumb things.”

Bitty’s voice was soft, but still audible through the phone. “It’s not dumb. I know how draining hiding can be. And I miss you too. So much.”

“I know you have a lot going on, so I don’t want to make it harder on you.”

“Harder on me? Honey, I’ll be fine. It’s you who will probably get banged around more than I would.”

“I don’t care about the players I meet on the ice. My team has my back, and that’s all that matters. It’s you who will get shoved into the spotlight, and I know you haven’t had to deal with this type of attention before. I grew up with it.”

Bitty’s side of the line went quiet, and Jack almost thought he’d lost connection when he finally spoke up again. “You’re right.”

“I am?”

“You do have your moments, Mr. Zimmermann.” A small laugh. “But, even though it would be hard, I don’t think I’d mind all that much. Although, I should tell you, the first thing I thought when you said that was, ‘the world is going to find out I’m a mediocre figure skater.’”

“You’re an amazing skater, Bits.”

“You’re biased, sweet pea.”

“Biased, maybe. But still right.”

“Why come out now, anyway?”

Jack gripped the railing and stared out over the nighttime traffic. “I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I hate that I can’t say anything about it.”

“Are you sure I’m a good enough reason, though?”

“ _Bits_.”

Bitty huffed indignantly. “I’m serious!”

“I will go downstairs and find the nearest reporter and tell them I’m dating you right now if you tell me to. You are always, always worth it. Worth everything,”

“I love you a whole lot, Jack.”

He grinned, and thought fondly about the ring he had bookmarked on his laptop. “I can’t believe its almost been two and a half years since I first kissed you.”

“Has it? It feels like longer, somehow.”

Jack chewed his lip gently, thinking about how much he wanted to kiss Bitty again right that moment. He was really too good for him, but it was nice to know that the feeling was at least a little mutual. He chirped Bitty affectionately about Amanda and his newest recipes before saying good night. They had plenty of time to figure things out before Jack did anything drastic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i've been waiting twelve years to add parse to this fic

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

_Jump!_

_Head up, head up, head up. Trust your skates to go where they’re supposed to. It’s a performance, so keep your head up! And leg straight—don’t forget to keep your leg straight._

Bitty took a deep breath as he kept moving through his routine. Any mistakes could be ironed out in his next take, but stopping in the middle every time he made one would mean he’d never get through the song. And this was only his short.

He actively kept himself from thinking about his long program, mostly because he told himself he needed to spend that day working only on his short, even though he knew he had a lot left to put in for his long. Katya promised she’d come by for a little while the upcoming Friday to help point out some of the issues he couldn’t spot on his own, but then.

_Then_.

Bitty came to stop at the end of the routine and immediately sank down to a sitting position. The cold soaking through his leggings was grounding, but it served as a brutal reminder of the last time he struggled to catch his breath while collapsed on the ice. It had officially been a year, but the brutal check still lurked in the back of his mind. He thought about the hospital visits and the concerned looks everyone gave him and the perpetual feeling of uselessness that pervaded every aspect of his time on the sidelines, and… Bitty screwed his eyes shut while squeezing his fists hard enough to feel his fingernails dig into his palms.

This was different. What he was doing now was different. He had to forcibly remind himself of that. Ice dancing was a solitary sport, and that meant logically these fears shouldn’t be plaguing him when he skates anymore. Although, as his therapist liked to tell him, logic had nothing to do with it. Bitty didn’t have the time to entertain the intrusive thoughts trying to impose his trauma onto figure skating as if it was hockey. He had a little less than a week to practice and prepare before he competed for the first time in ten years. He briefly considered texting Jack, but decided against it.

Bitty loved that Jack was making an effort to come watch Saturday, but at that moment he didn’t need the distraction texting his boyfriend would give him. And Jack probably had enough distractions of his own with his upcoming home game versus the Aces.

He pointedly avoided thinking too hard about that.

At a little diner on the other side of Providence, Jack fidgeted in his seat and pulled the baseball cap lower over his eyes. He felt a little guilty about not mentioning his lunch plans to Bitty, but hopefully it wouldn’t turn out to have warranted him getting Bitty involved ahead of time. He had enough on his plate with his first showcase competition that weekend without Jack making him worry.

Jack really hoped no one tried to approach him while he was there.

Someone did, inevitably, but he was the person Jack was waiting for, which he supposed was fine. Even if his appearance made Jack tense up a little.

“Wow. Not only did you show up, but you got here _before_ me. I sorta expected to get stood up.”

Jack eyed Kent as he slid into the seat across from him. “What did you want, Parse?”

“Just to talk. Grab a burger with an old friend. There’s no need to get all defensive on me, Zimms.”

“You can’t possibly be surprised that I don’t exactly trust your intensions anymore. Especially after the last time we _talked_.”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

Jack gave him a pointed look. He knew how suspicious they looked, both in dark sweats with caps pulled low on their heads, and the longer they sat there the more likely it was that someone recognized at least one of them. He jiggled his leg to try and stave off some of his anxiety.

“Okay, okay.” Kent rested his elbows on the table and scratched at his neck. “Firstly, I get that cornering you at that college was a shit move, but it’s been, like, three years. Are you really still mad? I apologized. Twice.”

“Doesn’t mean I trust you.”

Kent opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it because he snapped it closed again.

“Look,” Jack scratched at his cheek in exasperation, “I agreed to meet with you because, frankly, I’m tired of this animosity between us. This has been going on for too long, and I’m tired of feeling jittery every time we have a game. If this is going to go exactly the same way as that last time, I’ll leave now.”

“Does that mean you’re going to get Mashkov to lay off checking me on sight?”

“Depends on what you want.” 

Kent fidgeted in his seat a little before reluctantly making eye contact again. “I wanted to know what you meant in that presser the other week.”

“The pr— _did you seriously_ want to have lunch just to ask who I’m dating?” Jack blinked in disbelief at him.

“Yeah, I am! I really didn’t expect you to show up, so I don’t exactly have anything to say for myself.”

Jack slumped back in his chair and sighed. The waitress came over to take their orders then, so he used the delay to try and figure out how to respond. He tried to avoid thinking about Kent and Bitty in the same context whenever possible, but this was actively forcing him to do so. Everything about the _thing_ he had with Kent was a series of poorly made decisions made when they were still a couple of dumb kids hiding in shadowy corners. His relationship with Bitty felt nothing like that had. Meeting Kent like this, having a conversation about this particular subject felt so _bizarre_. They didn’t even know each other anymore, and yet the way Kent kept looking at him made him feel like it’d been barely a year since they parted ways.

“Are you… are you okay?” Jack settled on asking once the waitress disappeared.

Kent rolled his eyes. “You can just say you don’t want to talk about it, Jack. I know we aren’t,” he made a noise halfway between a grunt and a sigh, “ _close_ anymore. You don’t owe me anything.”

“And yet you’re still asking.”

“So I’m curious. Sue me over it.” Another eyeroll.

“Kenny.”

He sucked in a soft breath and looked up at Jack.

“If I tell you who I’m dating, will you…tell me what’s bothering you? You’re right—we aren’t close anymore, but I can still tell when something’s eating at you. I thought you’d have learned by now that you have to talk about this kind of shit.”

Kent sat in silence for a beat before answering. “Why do you even care?” 

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Because I still _miss_ you for some reason, against my better judgment. Like I get that you moved on or whatever, but I want to know if you’re happy I guess.”

Jack sighed. “Well, I am. Happy.”

“Okay.” Kent closed his eyes and took a breath. “What’s, uh, her name?”

“His name is Eric Bittle, and you’ve, um, actually met. He’s that speedy forward I went to Samwell with. Uh, number fifteen?”

Kent started and went a little wide-eyed before slowly giving a little nod. He was quiet all through the waitress bringing their food and drinks out, and Jack found himself even more concerned for Kent with how unresponsive he was. Jack’s sexuality obviously wasn’t a surprise to him, so his reaction had to be because of something else. Because of what had been bothering him, more than likely.

Eventually, Kent found his voice again.

“Who else knows?”

Jack shrugged. “About me and Bittle? Both our parents, the Falcs, our friends from Samwell. That’s mostly it, I think. Although, it’s kind of getting to the point where it’s hard to hide since we also live together now.”

“So the presser…”

“Was probably a precursor to me coming out, yeah.” Jack took a breath to keep himself steady. “I didn’t really plan it, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“And your _team_ knows already?”

Something in Kent’s voice gave Jack pause. It reminded Jack of a much younger Kent, back when he had hushed conversations with Jack in their dark room during the Q.

“Do the Aces—“

“Absolutely not.” Kent cut Jack off. “I mean, Scraps had heard some things, but he’s probably too dumb to figure it out himself. Whatever. I may be their captain, but that doesn’t mean a shit when it comes to things like this.”

“Kenny, you’ve given them, what, eight years? And no one would be in your corner?”

“Maybe? I don’t know, Zimms.” He picked at the fries on his plate. “I’m not willing to test my luck, though.”

Jack sighed. “Look. Let me just… Give me your phone.” 

“What? Why?”

He quirked his eyebrow at him and held out his hand. Grumbling, Kent took his phone out, unlocked it, and passed it to Jack, who started fiddling with the screen. When he passed it back across the table, his contact page was open. Kent blinked at the screen. 

“If you need to talk, let me know. I got a new number after… well, you know. So I figured you needed an update. I may not trust you, but you’re still my friend, Kenny. And this way you’ll stop messaging me on a Twitter I never use.”

“Thanks.” He looked a little shaken but pocketed his phone with very little fuss. Jack wasn’t sure if Kent would text him at all, but he felt good about offering himself as a support.

They sat mostly in silence while they ate their food, both too unsure to actually start any sort of conversation. Their friendship, if they could even call it that, was strained at best, even if they both put in effort to mend the rift that had formed between them. Jack wasn’t sure he would ever willingly be too friendly with Kent ever again considering everything that had happened between them, but the constant aggravated energy that formed between them whenever they saw each other was too damn exhausting to continue. Jack knew he had to tell Bitty he saw Kent, though. Best he hear it from Jack than if someone snapped a picture of the two of them without either noticing and posted it online. Not that he had a reason to hide it.

Kent cleared his throat. “Does this mean you’re actually going to tell Mashkov to take it easy on me tomorrow? Because the last time he checked me he almost dislocated my shoulder.”

“ _Parse_.”


	10. Chapter 10

Someone did manage to catch a blurry picture of Jack and Parse when they left the little diner. Bitty discovered it online and showed it to him later that night , long after Jack told him that he actually saw Parse. He wasn’t surprised in the least, squinting down at Bitty’s phone screen, but it was weird seeing a photo of them together not on the ice after years of radio silence. So many things between them were still so shaky.

The Aces game went by surprisingly without incident, even if the Falconers did lose by a single goal.

“Jack, you were spotted speaking with Kent Parson yesterday. In the past you’ve made it clear that you haven’t spoken in years—Is this a sign that you two are becoming friends again?”

Sighing softly, Jack frowned at the reporter. “Our games against the Aces have always been rough ones, and I only wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything personal transferring onto the ice. At the end of the day, we’re all here to play a good game, and nothing should get in the way of that.”

_Not Kent... and not me having a boyfriend, either._

Jack crashed into bed later that night. Between dealing with Kent and trying to keep the presser on topic, he was almost more mentally drained than he was physically. Almost. He let himself sink into the mattress next to Bitty and quietly thanked Tater, Marty, and Thirdy for handling most of the reporters’ questions. He nearly dozed off with Bitty’s hands absently running through his hair, but remembering what tomorrow was, he forced himself into a sitting position and caught his boyfriend’s eye.

“Hey, Bud. How’re you feeling?”

Bitty blinked, clearly tired but not falling asleep any time soon. “Nervous. I’m sorry I haven’t really made it to any of your games yet, sweet pea, I—“

“Shh, Bits.” Jack cut him off and squeezed his hand gently. “I know you have your own stuff going on. You’ve been there for me enough. Let me be here for you.”

He huffed a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.”

“You’re going to do great. This is just the first of the actual competitions, right?” Jack squeezed his hand again. Bitty had made appearances at a couple showcases over the past few weeks, but the one tomorrow was the one that mattered.

“Yeah. Might be my last, though.”

“I doubt it. You’re a great skater, Bits. And you’ve been working so hard to get everything perfect. Even if you don’t move on, this isn’t your last chance ever to compete. You remember what you told me when I didn’t win the cup last year?”

“…That there’s always next year?”

“Right.”

Bitty bit his lip and ran his thumb over Jack’s softly. “It’s different when you have a team backing you up.”

“Maybe.” Jack pressed a kiss to his temple. “I tend to act like it’s all on me though, eh?”

That earned him a giggle. “You can’t help that, sweet pea.”

“Well, maybe. And I’d get out on the ice with you, but I feel like that would just get you disqualified, so I’ll have to settle for sitting next to Amanda and telling her embarrassing stories about you while we wait for you to go on.”

“Jack, _no_ , she’s _eleven_.”

“ _Child-appropriate_ embarrassing stories.”

“Do...do those even exist?”

Jack nudged Bitty with his elbow, trying to keep him smiling. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

Bitty settled back into silence as his smile slid slowly from his face, going back to worrying at his lip with a soft frown. He gripped absently at his shirt, and Jack knew he had to say something despite the exhaustion pulling at his eyelids.

“It’s been a year, bud. Is it still bothering you?” Jack covered Bitty’s hand with his own and eased it away from clenching at the fabric.

Bitty sighed. “No. Yes? It’s not the injury. Not… not really.  I know there’s not even a chance for me to get hurt like that again, especially now that I’m done with hockey.”

“Then what?” Jack moved a little closer to him so he could brush their heads together. “Something at least _related_ to that check you took has been bothering you, and I want to help. Talk to me?”

Squeezing Jack’s hand, Bitty breathed out a long sigh. “Okay. Okay, sweetheart. It’s a lot of things, I think. I… I just really don’t want to mess this up.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“I know that. I know that even if I get out there tomorrow and give the worst performance of my life, it’ll all turn out okay. The world won’t end, I still have options, I’ll still have you. But... oh, I don’t know. Back when I took that check, and the doctor told me I had to be benched for three months, do you remember how bent out of shape I was for that first month? I felt like I lost something, and the fact that you and the boys were so supportive through all that mess almost made it worse.”

Jack frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I knew exactly how useless I was to y’all then, and everyone kept on saying that it was okay and they just liked having me around. I felt like someone’s grandmother, three shakes from getting stuck in a home for good. ‘Course I couldn’t tell y’all that or you’d only try and cheer me up more and continue that cycle of pity. I keep thinking that if I screw this up tomorrow, I’ll be back in that same situation again. Having to live with knowing I ruined something I loved while everyone else completely ignores that it happened.”

Jack shook his head. “We weren’t ignoring that you were hurt, bud. We were trying to make sure you realized that any one mistake or failure doesn’t define you. Don’t think that I—or any of our friends, really—don’t notice that you have a tendency to let things snowball. If you fuck things up tomorrow, none of us are going to care, and you shouldn’t let that possibility consume you.”

“Can I record you saying that last bit, so I can play it back to _you_ whenever you start getting in your head about this same thing?”

“I see how it is. Call me a hypocrite, sure.”

“Okay. _Hypocrite_.” Bitty smirked up at him and used his free hand to pat Jack softly on  the cheek. “Thank you, though.”

Jack steeled himself to try and keep a straight face but failed spectacularly. “Don’t worry, Bittle. I’m not going to put you in a nursing home if you don’t get a perfect score tomorrow.”

Bitty yelled and tore himself away from Jack’s side. “Oh, it was a _metaphor_ , you brute!”

Heaving himself after his offended boyfriend, Jack grabbed at Bitty’s thigh to haul him back towards the center of the bed. Bitty squealed in response and tried to kick weakly at Jack with his free leg. Jack managed to cage Bitty in against the mattress after laughing at Bitty’s half-assed struggling. He leaned down and kissed Bitty happily.

“Well, if that’s what I get, I _guess_ I can accept my fate.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

Bitty rolled his eyes. “You sound surprised.”

“I’m really not.” Jack grinned back at him.

Jack let Bitty push him over onto his side so they could get more comfortable. They both were exhausted and needed their rest. Jack had another game that next afternoon, and Bitty had two programs to oversee at regionals—both Amanda’s and his own. Bitty tried not to dwell too much on knowing that in twenty-four hours he would know if he or his student qualified for sectionals. Regardless of what happened, he knew he couldn't let fear hold him back from trying.


	11. Chapter 11

Being a coach and a competitor in the same competition meant Bitty had to resign himself to some bizarre wardrobe choices. He pulled his track pants over his costume and half zipped up his jacket before making eye contact with himself in the locker room mirror. The eyeliner, the glitter, his perfectly coiffed hair—he looked about different as he felt. He really tried not to let his nerves get the best of him, but it was hard when it still felt like so much was riding on his performance that evening. Despite how much of a fuss he made about it his last semester at Samwell, this was something he wanted a lot.

Nothing made him feel as free as being out on the ice—except for maybe loving Jack.

With the thought of his boyfriend keeping his heart beating at a normal pace, Bitty slipped from the men’s locker room to go make sure Amanda was close to ready since the younger ages were set to go on first. Her mother was ushering her out of the women’s locker room as Bitty rounded the corner, and Amanda immediately ran up to him.

“Coach B! Do I look okay? I didn’t forget anything, did I?”

Bitty grinned. “You look gorgeous. Did you do all this yourself, or did your mother help you?” He glanced up at Professor Macintosh with a small smile.

“Mom did most of it, but I put the glitter on my cheeks.”

“Oh, I _see_.”

They made their way through the halls and to their seats, Bitty double checking that Amanda’s mother knew to look for Jack when he made it back from his game in Detroit. He was supposed to be there two hours after the game ended, assuming his flight wasn’t delayed. Bitty tried to keep from obsessively checking his phone for the score to try and figure out of they’d be going into overtime or not. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he really needed Jack to be in the stands when he took the ice for competition.

They soon parted ways with Professor Macintosh as she went to go sit down while Amanda and Bitty made their way over to the waiting area for performers.

Amanda took a deep breath and gripped at the edge of the skirt on her leotard. “Coach B?” 

“Hm?”

“What if I mess up?”

Bitty hesitated before sighing softly. “It could happen, but you have to remember what I told you during practice, okay? What do you do if you feel like you’ve made a mistake?”

“Skate through it, keep going, stick to the program.”

“Right.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. “You know this program. You know what jumps come after which spins, and I know you can do this. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

“Hey, sweetie, look at me.” Bitty waited for her to look up before continuing. “I have trouble remembering this myself, but it’s not the end of the world if things aren’t perfect, okay? This is your first year on the competition circuit. Think of it as a learning experience.”

Amanda nodded, seemingly a little more upbeat. “I’ll try. I just don’t get why we have to wait back here for hours instead of in the stands.”

“Trust me, you’ll only psych yourself out if you watch everyone else perform before you.”

“Wait.” She frowned. “Does that mean you’ll be back here by yourself until it’s your turn?”

“Well, yes.”

Amanda seemed a little put out by that, but Bitty only laughed. They had gotten close over the past months, more so than Bitty expected. It reminded him a little of how dependent he used to be—and still was, if he was being honest with himself—on Katya. She was supposed to be out there watching him too, but Bitty’s thoughts only drifted back to Jack.

“I’ll be alright, Amanda. The quiet’ll give me time to focus.”

Their wait for Amanda to go on for her short went by faster than they expected, and soon Bitty was watching her take center ice and sparkling under the spotlight. Her performance went by without too much of a hitch with only a small stumble after a jump and her moving a little too stiff overall, and he told her as much as they waited for her turn to come back around for her longer performance. In the end, her composite score landed her barely within the group of kids her age moving onto the next round. He wished he could have congratulated her for longer, but her mother seemed to have it covered. And  he needed to focus for his own performance. He handed his phone off to Professor Macintosh along with his bag as she took Amanda to go sit down again, so he couldn’t even text Jack to see if he was on his way yet.

He was so, so nervous.

Bitty closed his eyes and willed himself to relax and quiet his brain, and he sat in his chair in the waiting area like that until the assistant director called his name. He skated out onto the ice, unsure if Jack was there and unsure if trying to do this again was even worth it, but the second he hit center ice all those thoughts left his head.

The music started, and he knew what to do.

Again, Bitty was reminded why he loved skating so much. It wasn’t the spotlight or the costumes, or even the music. He felt it when he was ten and when he played hockey in high school and at Samwell. It was the way he was able to move, fluid and calm, that made him feel a sense of freedom he hardly thought was possible. Bitty spent years hiding himself and the things he liked and now who he liked, but out on the ice it felt like none of that mattered. He felt weightless.

He hardly recognized the end of his short before he moved to stop in time with the music. His skin felt like it was vibrating as he came off the ice, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to spin with glee or puke from the nerves all bubbling up at once. He really, _really_ hoped Jack made it in time.

Soon he was back on the ice for the second part of his program, and Bitty lavished in the freedom skating awarded him. He hardly cared what the judges thought as long as he got the chance to feel such unbridled freedom again and again (but he still did care what the judges thought, a lot). The roaring in his ears stuck with him as he made his way away from the ice, and he wasn’t fully sure if it was residual sound from the crowd or a side effect of feeling so _good_ about the performance he gave. Bitty bit back his smile. No matter where he placed— _if_ he placed—he definitely felt proud of himself.

The final scores were announced, and Bitty’s heart sank.

Fifth.

Only the top four move on to the next round.

He’d still be there, coaching Amanda through the next round, but it still stung knowing that his figure skating season was more or less over.

“Bits!”

He glanced up and saw Jack wading through the crowd and immediately burst into tears. Jack frowned and wrapped him in a hug the second he could, and they stood like that amongst the crowd for longer than they probably should have.

Jack pulled back first. “Bud, you were great. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m..” Bitty wobbled through his tears. “I’m not even that upset that I didn’t make the cut. I’m just really glad you were able to make it in time.”

“Of course I’m here. You’re too important for me not to be.”

Bitty sniffed and smiled softly.

“You’re getting makeup everywhere, Bud.” Jack grinned a little.

 “Now is _not_ the time to tell me how much of a mess I look like, sweat pea, _honestly_.”

“Just letting you know.”

“Oh, you’re such a _gentleman_.”

Jack was suddenly struck by how perfect Bitty was, even with smudged eyeliner and black-tinted tears streaking his face and his hair looking nearly plastic with the amount of hairspray in it. Even though he essentially lost his chance to move further with his dream that season, Bitty was emotional because Jack was there for him, and Jack felt some feeling swell within him at the thought. A feeling that felt a lot like total and utter devotion to the man he loved. They were both sweaty and messy, Jack after his rushed flight and Bitty after performing, and Jack was never more certain that Bitty was it for him.

“Bits?”

Bitty glanced up at him and paused wiping the back of his hand across his eyes. The fussing had only made things worse, and Jack found it utterly endearing how much Bitty looked like a raccoon.

“Marry me?” 

Eyes wide, Bitty stared at him blankly for a few seconds, long enough for Jack to get a little nervous. “What?”

“I…uh…” Jack blinked, wondering if the words he just spoke were a mistake.

“Jack. Sweat pea. Re…repeat that for me. So I know that I’m not hearing things.”

Jack felt like he was going to vibrate right out of his skin. “Marry me.”

“ _Oh._ ”

“Oh?”

“I…cannot believe you decided to propose in _public_ where I can’t even _kiss_ you, you _ridiculous_ man.”

Bitty was going to be the death of him, Jack thought. “Is that a yes?”

“Oh! Sweetheart—Lord, of _course_ it’s a yes. A thousand yes’s!” 

A huge grin split across Jack’s face. “You should still kiss me.” 

“Jack—” 

“It’s okay. Don’t feel like you have to if you’re not ready, but, If you do want to, you shoul—”

Bitty cut him off by yanking him down into a kiss. Once they made it back home later, Bitty complained bitterly that they got engaged while he looked like a wreck, but Jack couldn’t stop smiling long enough to care. He couldn’t get over the fact that he got to marry Eric Bittle, the single most amazing person he’d ever and would ever know.

Eventually a blurry picture of them kissing made its way to news outlets. It blew up seemingly overnight, but Jack easily distracted Bitty from the climbing number of shares on social media by asking him for his opinions on rings. Jack decided to wait until after their next game before making an announcement, though their parents and friends seemed to all be bursting with excitement at the news. _Jack_ was bursting with excitement. He was pretty sure the reporters at the next presser could tell he had something to say because the first question asked went straight to the point.

“Jack, I’m sure you’re well aware of the picture of you kissing another man circulating online. Do you know him?”

Jack snorted. “Yeah, I hope so. He’s my fiancé.”

The entire presser erupted into chaos.

Despite the anxiety creeping at the back of his mind, Jack couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he didn't even have to look to know that it was Bitty, chirping him for his dopey expression from their couch at home. He was _so_ gone on that boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He did it!! That's the end!! Oh man. I may add a couple one-shots to this series eventually, but for now I'm calling it finished. A big ol' thanks to everyone who kept with this story so long!! Y'all are the best.

**Author's Note:**

> Recap: 
> 
> Jack didn't win the Cup his rookie year. Bitty got badly injured his first game as captain senior year and during his benched time ended up coaching junior figure skating for a little while as a favor. He confronted the reason why he abandoned figure skating in the first place and the traumatic events that surrounded that entire situation, and Jack (and others) helped him realize that he could still go back to it if he really wanted to. Bitty's now coaching a 10-year-old named Amanda, getting back into competing (coachless, but getting a little advice from Katya), and still working on his vlog.


End file.
